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Included in the program is a family of front and rear-wheel drive axles based on proprietary ZF designs and a Chrysler-designed rear-wheel drive axle.

“Advanced axle technologies are key to our powertrain offensive, aimed at improving the fuel efficiency of our products. And working with a partner allows us to reduce development costs and capital investment requirements.” said Chrysler LLC President and Vice Chairman Tom LaSorda.

Widely regarded worldwide as a leading supplier of driveline and chassis technology, ZF is among the 15 largest automotive suppliers in the world, employing approximately 58,000 staff at 119 locations in 25 countries.

The partnership will result in a phased from current Detroit Axle-centred operations to a 700,000 square-foot Marysville facility which is currently under construction, with a target production launch in early 2010.

“This partnership with Chrysler and the UAW further demonstrates ZF’s intention to increase market presence with axles and to use this as a foundation for future explorations with additional customers,” said ZF CEO Hans-Georg Haerter.

The new facility is expected to produce approximately 500,000 axles each year, ensuring the retention of Chrysler employees who may be able to take on additional work at the Marysville Plant.

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“We’re pleased to recognise this important milestone and the role of both Chrysler and the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation,” said Hussein Mustafa Mohamed, Chairman, Arab American Vehicles Co. “The launch of the incredibly versatile Jeep J8 and the anticipated demand for its export is an economically significant event for Egypt.”

The Jeep J8 marks the brand’s return to commercial and military vehicle production with a vehicle designed to meet the needs of both government and non-government organisations and agencies.

Available in two-door extended pickup bed, or a four-door multipurpose configuration the J8 will be produced with numerous vehicle-body and seating configurations in either right or left hand drive.

“The Jeep J8 combines legendary capabilities and dependability that makes the Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited famous, with unmatched cargo capacity and an exceptional towing rating,” said Thomas Hausch, Chrysler LLC Vice President - Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The Jeep J8 is also an exceptional value, priced below other vehicles designed for humanitarian and military work. Jeep vehicles debuted in 1941 as the workhorse of the military. The Jeep J8 brings us back full circle. With a 67-year reputation for off-road capability and utility in both civilian and military applications, Jeep is the benchmark.”

Based on the MY08 Wrangler Unlimited the frame has been reinforced and allow payloads up to 1,339 kg. Axles, brakes and suspension components are engineered specifically for more demanding military and civilian government use, including utilising a leaf spring suspension in the rear.

Under the bonnet a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine produces 118 kW and 400 Nm to allow a 3,500kg towing capacity. Power is delivered through Jeep’s Command-Trac 4×4 system. The engine is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission.

The J8 also features a bonnet mounted snorkel that affords it a 762mm wading depth, and with a special air filtration system, can operate in sandstorm conditions for up to five hours.

Although the J8 is not intended for combat situations, it is armour capable and with its heavy duty bumpers and tow eyes (as seen on the Hummer H3) can be easily transported by airplane or helicopter.

Despite the J8’s obvious intended purpose, we can’t help but wonder if it’ll become the next Hollywood style Hummer-esque vehicle of choice.

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Dodge Challenger SRT10 Concept

In a combination of Tornado Red and raw carbon-fibre, the Challenger SRT10 Concept boasts an 8.4-litre all-aluminium V10 engine with 447kW and 758Nm lifted straight from the Dodge Viper.

The Challenger SRT10 also adds upgraded brakes, Bilstein shocks and a nostalgic ’shaker’ hood which pays homage to the 1970 HEMI Cuda as well as feeding the V10 engine with fresh air.

The interior boasts sports seats and carbon-fibre accents and a red engine start push-button in the dash.

Whilst only officially a concept, it takes no stretch of the mind to see Dodge putting this model into limited production.

Dodge Challenger Blacktop

The menacing Challenger Blacktop began life as a regular Challenger R/T equipped with a 5.7-litre HEMI V8 engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.

Mopar Underground has added unique spoilers and front diffuser along with a striking black-on-black colour scheme and massive 22-inch Dodge Viper wheels.

The engine has been improved with several Mopar additions including a cat back dual-exhaust and cold air intake to help the HEMI breathe.

Mopar coil-overs and a strut tower brace sharpen the handling which complements the under hood performance enhancements.

The interior features Katzkin leather seating finished in bright red plus a Mopar Kicker audio system for premium sound.

Dodge Challenger Targa

This full blown competition car started life as a Mopar Challenger drag race package car, with even more enhancements added from the Dodge Viper - most notably the snakeskin green paint scheme.

A Mopar chin spoiler keeps the front end planted while the bonnet scoop feeds the 402kW and 663Nm 392 HEMI V8 crate motor which is mated to a modified version of the factory six-speed manual gearbox.

The Stop-Tech brake package consists of six-piston callipers up front and four-pot callipers down back clamping onto 380mm and 355mm rotors respectively.

The race suspension developed by KW has been lifted from Dodge’s fastest production model, the Viper ACR.

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Shares of GM, which traded at a record 60 year low last week, jumped from $4.89 on Friday to $6.52 today. At the same time the Dow Jones industrial average also saw a one day record rise of 11.1 percent.

GM and Cerberus Capital Management (who own a 80 percent stake in Chrysler) have been in discussions about the deal that would combine the number one and number three (respectively) US automakers in to a global giant, but with sales dropping sharply, concerns have been raised by US rating’s service Standard & Poor:

“Our most serious concerns regarding Chrysler are more immediate: the pressure on the company’s liquidity during 2009 from the rapidly weakening state of most global automotive markets and the constrained state of the capital markets,” S&P said in a statement. “We believe that a GM-Chrysler combination or alliance could create substantial cost savings, but massive execution risks would also result. We would be skeptical that a GM-Chrysler transaction could easily address our primary concern by resulting in a substantial increase of current liquidity for the parties involved.”

Representatives from Standard and Poor were also quick to point out that it would be suppliers, rather than the merged companies, who would be the most likely beneficiaries of any merger:

“We are skeptical of major incremental savings resulting from a combination. The major costs are in the manufacturing, engineering and marketing capacity required to support too many brands. We do not see a combined company as being more effective in reducing those structural costs than two stand-alone enterprises.”

GM’s key consideration in any deal would be its impact on the automaker’s cash position and while GM might benefit from an acquisition of Chrysler if the deal helped to reassure US consumers about the staying power of its brands.

“The greatest near-term risk to GM, in our view, is that consumers stop buying its products for lack of confidence in, among other things, the warranties behind the vehicles. By joining with Chrysler, GM could reinforce its market-leading position in the US, potentially reducing the risk of lost consumer confidence.”

A combined GM-Chrysler would also be likely to promote a more orderly wind-down of non-productive assets in the auto component supply base. CarAdvice will bring you more news on the potential merger as it comes to hand.

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Elshoff also said that although construction work was continuing on the plant today, he could not speculate as to whether any further work would continue in to the future.

Under the partnership, Chrysler would have seen 700,000 transmissions build in the Indiana plant annually with some 1,200 staff employed at the $350 million dollar factory.

The lawsuit indicated that Getrag had sought to secure the money required to build the plant from German banks on the proviso that the money was guaranteed by the German government. Chrysler argues that it should have been informed of that condition before it signed off on the definitive agreement.

As it turned out the German government would only guarantee the debt if Chrysler set up a $300 million escrow account to assure repayment. It is alleged Chrysler was awarded favour as Getrag “did not make a good faith effort to get the money”.

There is no word on how this will effect supply of the transmission in Australian Chrysler Group vehicles at this stage. We’ll endeavour to keep you posted.

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By doing away with the torque converter and using two submersed multi-plate clutches (launch and shift) the lay shafts are allowed to operate simultaneously which translates to faster, smoother shifts. Simply put the gears are pre-selected and by opening one clutch and closing the other, there’s no interruption in torque delivery.

The Avenger will be the next in line to receive the dual clutch treatment and is available from $26,990 to $37,990 for the range topping SXT turbo diesel.

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It said that it is well into the development of advanced, production-intent electric vehicles, and that it will apply electric-drive technology to its front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive platforms in the next several years.

At its World Headquarters today, Chrysler revealed its electric-drive prototypes – Dodge EV, Jeep EV and Chrysler EV – and demonstrated the driving performance and capability of each.

“We have a social responsibility to our consumers to deliver environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, advanced electric vehicles, and our intention is to meet that responsibility quickly and more broadly than any other automobile manufacturer,” said Bob Nardelli, Chairman and CEO – Chrysler LLC.

“The introduction of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge electric vehicles provides a glimpse of the very near future, and demonstrates that we are serious and well along in the development of bringing electric vehicles to market.”

The development of Chrysler’s electric vehicles and range-extended electric vehicles is led by ENVI – representing the first four letters of “environmental” – the company’s in-house organisation that was formed to focus on electric-drive production vehicles and related advanced technologies.

The company said the development of electric-drive systems for future Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles is maturing quickly.

“ENVI was created just over one year ago with the strategic intent to develop electric-drive vehicles quickly for Chrysler, and it is surpassing expectations,” said Tom LaSorda, Vice Chairman and President – Chrysler LLC.

“With ENVI, Chrysler is developing technology to bring electric vehicles and extremely fuel-efficient range-extended electric vehicles to market.”

The Dodge EV development electric vehicle is a two-passenger, rear-wheel-drive sports car that marries high performance with zero tailpipe emissions.

“The Dodge EV sets a new standard for what can be expected in electric-drive vehicles,” said Lou Rhodes, Vice President – Advance Vehicle Engineering, and President – ENVI.

“The electric-vehicle technology enables a fun-to-drive performance sports car and helps redefine the vision of an environmentally responsible vehicle for the Dodge brand.”

The electric-drive system consists of three primary components: a 200kW electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery and an integrated power controller.

The 200kW electric-drive motor generates 650 Nm of torque. The instant high torque of the electric-drive motor delivers outstanding performance, accelerating the Dodge EV to 100km/h in less than five seconds, with 400 metre times of 13 seconds.

The Dodge EV has a top speed of more than 210km/h.

The Jeep EV development vehicle is a range-extended electric vehicle that provides a glimpse into the future of a “Go Anywhere, Do Anything” vehicle with renowned Jeep Wrangler capability.

The Jeep EV combines Wrangler’s unmatched off-road capability with the ultimate “Tread Lightly” mindset by providing nature ambassadors with the ability to roam the planet and take care of it at the same time.

The Jeep EV range-extended electric vehicle uses an electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery system, and a small petrol engine with an integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed.

The 200kW electric motor generates 400Nm of torque. With approximately 36 litres of petrol, the Jeep EV has a range of 644 kilometres, including 64 kilometres of zero fuel-consumption, zero-emissions, all-electric operation.

“We are also exploring four-wheel-drive, in-wheel electric motors to demonstrate the full reach of ENVI’s advanced electric-drive technologies,” said Mr Rhodes.

The Chrysler EV development vehicle is a range-extended electric vehicle that demonstrates another possible application of ENVI electric-drive technology in the segment-leading Chrysler Town & Country, known in Australia as Chrysler Grand Voyager.

“With the Chrysler EV, we are able to blend seven-passenger capability and the luxury of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan with electric-drive technology, demonstrating family practicality with zero compromise,” said Mr Rhodes.

“ENVI’s electric-drive development vehicles showcase our accelerated application of electric-drive systems into a wide range of vehicles in Chrysler’s future product portfolio.”

The Chrysler EV combines the electric-drive components of an electric vehicle with an integrated small-displacement engine and generator to produce additional electricity to power the electric-drive system when needed.

This provides all of the positive attributes of an electric vehicle and extends the driving range to be equivalent to today’s petrol-powered vehicles – without compromises.

The Chrysler EV uses a 190kW motor, producing 350Nm of torque, providing 0-to-100km/h acceleration in approximately nine seconds. The Chrysler EV range-extended electric vehicle can drive 64 kilometres on all-electric power, and boasts a range of 644 kilometres on approximately 36 litres of petrol.

Chrysler says this makes the Chrysler EV the perfect fuel-efficient family vehicle.

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This power translates to the road with staggering results, covering zero to 100km/h in the low 5-second range - making it the quickest SUV in Australia priced under $100,000.

Under normal driving conditions, just 5 to 10 percent of torque is sent to the front wheels, although as much as 100 percent can be delivered to the front if required.

The brake package is comprised of Brembo four-piston performance brake callipers finished in black with 360mm vented rotors up front, and 350mm vented rotors in the rear.

Complimenting the behemoth under the bonnet, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 also boasts a far more aggressive exterior design which also provides aerodynamic benefits by reducing lift and drag, while providing sufficient air flow to both the engine and brakes.

The rear has also been modified to accommodate dual centre-exiting 4-inch exhaust tips.

The interior is finished in a dark slate grey colour, featuring accent stitching, a new instrument panel and centre console, as well as an SRT-designed leather-wrapped steering wheel, and new cluster graphics and bezel finishes.

The MyGIG Multimedia Infotainment System is now standard equipment for the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 for 2008 which includes satellite navigation and reversing camera.

Powertrain

• 6.1L HEMI® engine
• SRT upgraded A580 five-speed automatic transmission
• Full-time four-wheel drive
• Unique MD146 SRT transfer case
• Unique air induction
• Unique intake manifold
• Unique exhaust manifolds
• Upgraded Dana 44 rear differential

Safety and Security

• Advanced Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
• Advanced multi-stage air bags
• BeltAlert
• Brake Assist
• LATCH (Lower Anchor and Tethers for Children)
• Digressive load-limiting seat belt retractors
• Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM)
• Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
• Energy-absorbing steering wheel and column
• Enhanced Accident Response System (EARS)
• Express-up/down front-door windows
• Four-wheel Brake Traction Control (BTC) system
• Head restraints in all outboard seating positions
• Knee bolsters
• ParkSense® rear park assist system
• ParkView™ rear back-up camera
• Rain-sensitive wipers
• Remote keyless entry
• Seat belt pretensioners
• Sentry Key® engine immobilizer theft deterrent system
• Side-curtain air bags with roll-detection system
• Three-point belts in all seating positions
• Tyre pressure monitoring system with warning indicator
• UConnect® hands-free communication system

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Utilising Autonet Mobile’s router, the unit will cost around US$450 plus installation of US$50, and an ongoing usage fee of US$29 per month. The big news is that your in-car ‘net will operate at 600-800 kilobits per second.

Chrysler’s infotainment system – named uconnect – is said to have the ability to integrate phone, satnav, media players, and satellite TV, making for a pleasant stay in the dog-house if ever the need arises.

Chrysler Australia’s Jerry Stamoulis, Manager of Public Relations has told CarAdvice that it’s possible that Australia would receive the system.

“Availability has yet to be confirmed at this early stage but we look forward to seeing some, if not all of these new offerings in our vehicles in the near future,” said Mr Stamoulis.

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CGA says the dual-clutch transmission, developed in conjunction with gearbox maker Getrag, will provide consumers a fuel economy improvement and CO2 emissions reduction of six percent.
Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President – Product Development, said: “Chrysler’s new dual-clutch transmission is the next step in transmission technology, offering consumers improved fuel economy along with smoother and quicker shifting.”
“This important technology is one of several initiatives we have in place to directly focus on improving fuel efficiency across our vehicle line-up.
Chrysler says its dual-clutch transmission technology improves fuel economy and CO2 emissions by reducing parasitic losses—first, by eliminating the torque converter, and second, through the use of synchronizers instead of shift clutches.
In its first Chrysler LLC vehicle applications, the new dual-clutch transmission will debut in international markets on the all-new 2008 Dodge Journey when mated to the turbo diesel variant.

Originally developed by Volkswagen, which calls its DSG, the dual-clutch transmission is an automatic transmission which utilises dual launch and shift clutches with a manual transmission style lay-shaft gear arrangement, instead of a conventional torque converter and planetary gears.
During shifts, the next gear is anticipated and pre-selected. Then one clutch is opened while the other is closed, allowing shifting without torque interruption. The result is quicker acceleration and refined shift quality. Further, with the lay-shaft arrangement of gears, there is increased flexibility to optimise gear ratio selection for performance and fuel economy.
The Chrysler/Getrag version of the dual-clutch transmission does not require a torque converter to transfer engine torque to the transmission. Instead, it uses two wet multi-plate clutches. With the wet multi-plate clutch system, the clutch components are bathed in lubricating/cooling fluid in order to provide adequate thermal capacity.
The wet multi-plate clutch system uses hydraulic pressure to actuate the clutches and provide for gear selection.
With this system, the power flow from the engine to the transmission is not interrupted during a shift, resulting in a power-on shift.
This means that there is less torque disturbance than a conventional planetary automatic transmission with torque converter.
Also, by eliminating the torque converter and reducing the number of shift clutches, parasitic losses are reduced leading to improved fuel economy.

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Chrysler Australia Public Relations Manager Jerry Stamoulis said: “The vehicle will be available to international markets, however it is too early to comment on which specific markets will have access to these vehicles.”

The Nissan-based small car will be built on a new Nissan platform to an already-completed Chrysler design, according to Chrysler co-President Tom LaSorda. He wouldn’t say whether the design would be based on the Dodge Hornet concept car.

LaSorda said the deal will have no impact on its ongoing venture with Chinese carmaker Chery Automobile Co. The two companies continue to work jointly on products for North America and other markets, he said.

“At some point we believe we need more than one small car,” for North America, LaSorda said. “We would be counting on Chery to provide that.”

The Nissan-based small car will be built on a new platform, however at the same time Nissan will begin making a small car exclusively for the South American market based on the Nissan Tiida.

“Forging the right tactical partnerships is critical to the long-term success of Chrysler,” said LaSorda in a prepared statement.

The companies said they “have also agreed to maintain an open dialogue to explore further product-sharing opportunities,” according to a Chrysler press release.

LaSorda declined to discuss financial details of the agreement except to say that Chrysler would pay Nissan for vehicles the latter builds and vice versa.

David Twomey

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